This book provides an overview of perspectives and approaches to the cultural meaning of sport volunteering in different countries. The main objective is to reflect on the diversity of meanings with regard to volunteering in different cultures and societies. Additionally, this book will shed light on volunteering practices and the impact of volunteering from both an economic and a sociological perspective.
The book begins with an introductory section that gives an overview of the rationale of the text and the diversity of sport volunteers in general. From there, the book's 25 chapters each discuss a specific country case study provided by researchers from the respective country. These studies provide a comprehensive overview of volunteering in each country, such as motivations of volunteers, satisfaction of volunteers, their perceived cost and benefits, and many other areas related to the overall study. By having twenty-five different countries represented and a native of each country authoring the respective chapters, this book serves as a comprehensive and diverse review of sports volunteering around the world and can be incorporated into courses in economics - particularly those dealing with sports economics - and can also be used as a reference for volunteer organizations and sports economists worldwide.
About the editors
Dr. Fairley currently serves on the advisory board of the United States Australian Football League. Her research focuses on three major streams: sport and event tourism, volunteerism, and the globalization of sport. Dr. Fairley has conducted various research and consultancy projects in the United States, China, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Recent projects she has been involved in include the globalization of Australian Rules Football in international markets, the sport tourism behaviours of friends and family of athletes who travel to the Olympic Games, and the legacy of Olympic volunteerism.
Kirstin Hallmann (PhD, German Sport University Cologne (GSU)), is Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Sport Economics and Sport Management at GSU. She also serves as program director of the M.Sc. Sport Management at GSU. Her main research fields are economics of sport demand and consumer behavior in tourism, event, and sport contexts (active and passive participation, volunteering) and competitiveness. Her work is published in leading sport management and tourism journals.
